Anyone else ever wonder what would happen if Ranma were splashed w/ lukewarm water? Well, that's not even remotely the point of the story. Anyway, I'm new on the ML (hi!), and this is my first attempt at writing a fic, so, please send C&C! Be cruel!! I need the improvement! BTW, this was written by someone who knows probably 50 words of Japanese and has a passible dictionary, so you'll be able to tell I'm faking it. ;) On w/ the story (plus intro).... All characters except for Mizuko Akima and those related to her are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, and all that other legal stuff. Point is, no one's mine except the people in Mizu-chan's house. Oh, this is a bit of a serious-fic (bleh), which means not much humor, mainly because I don't have any, and if there is, you won't be able to tell because it won't be funny ;). I also apoligize for my lack of Ranma experience. I've only seen the Viz dubbed version (or most of it at least. There's probably some Hard Battle out there I haven't seen.) of the TV series, AGMA, a few Hard Battle, most of the OAV/OVA's, and the first two movies. All dubbed. I did read the manga translation for the last volume/ episode or whatever. This story should take place after the last manga, because there's a reference to it, but in the middle of it I realized Nodoka's supposed to be somewhere in it. So just say it takes place anytime. God, this is so chronologically incorrect. Gomen ne!! Okay here ya go..... The scene opens to the Tendo Dojo. A delivery man is walking up to the front door. Knock knock... Knock knock... The door opens to reveal the familiar face of a very built young Japanese boy. "Hai?" "Express mail for Ranma Saotome." "I'm Ranma Saotome." "Sign here, please." Ranma signs something on the clipboard and takes the letter and looks at it peculiarly. "Arigato." Ranma nods at the young man and closes the door on us as he starts to read the letter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Lukewarm Water" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Who was it Ranma?" Akane asks as he comes back to the family room. We notice that his face is pale and his eyes are red. It almost looks like he's been... "Ranma, are you okay?" She's answered with silence. "Ranma?" "Was that my sushi?" asks Genma as he walks into the room upon hearing the door. "Son, you look like you've been crying. Boy, if you're gonna amount to anything, you'll have to learn how to hold in those tears! Real men don't cry!" (Good thing Soun wasn't in the room.) "I'll be at Ukyou's." Ranma hands the letter to his father as he walks out the door. As Genma reads the letter, he says inaudibly, "Masaka." Or maybe a little more audibly then he meant. "What is it, Mr. Saotome?" asked Akane with a glint of concern in her eyes. "Uhh, nothing, Akane-chan. Nothing for you to worry about." "Nothing?!" she yelled. "Ranma was crying and "men don't cry", remember! Ranma thinks he's a man and he wouldn't let you say that without one of his limbs in your face, now what's going on?!" She sounded very frustrated. All she got out of Genma was, "Ranma will tell you when he's ready. Now if you'll excuse me..." And with that, Genma went to his room. During all of this, Soun came in and was wailing about the heir to the Anything-Goes School not being a real man. "I'm gonna go to Ukyou's, dad," Akane said as she went out the door. She added in her thoughts, 'and I'm gonna find out what's going on." Ukyou looked as if all of her strength had been taken out of her with the word. "D...d...dying?" she said weakly. Ranma nodded while staring at his hands. "Oh, Ranma, this must be so hard on you." They sit in silence as tears fall down Ukyou's cheeks. Ranma finally broke the silence after awhile. "I thought you should know since you guys were friends and everything." Silence. "Her parents invited you to come." More silence. "I'm leaving this afternoon." "I...I don't know," she answered. "I mean, I haven't really kept in touch with her since I left to find you... So I really shouldn't go." She looked away from him. "Besides, I have a business to run, Ranma... Gomen." Ranma looked at her with red understanding eyes. "Okay." He got up to leave when Ukyou jumped to hug him. He froze and stared outside the window. "Gomen nasai, Ranma," she whispered. She lets go of him and he leaves. Ukyou goes back to the counter/grill. Ranma walks out of the door and before anything can happen, he says to the air in front of him, "You can come out now, Akane." Akane comes slowly out of the bushes with a red face and a pissed off look. She was red because he knew she had followed him and pissed off partly because he knew she had followed him. She did, however, see a smirk on his face for a split-second which made her more pissed off. "Ranma, you're gonna tell me what's going on or I'm gonna beat it out of you!" was her greeting. Her iinazuke turns to look deep into her eyes for a moment, then turns to walk towards the dojo. The stare made Akane edge back a step. She gets more confused but just walks behind him in silence. "I'll be going on a trip this afternoon," Ranma said to break the silence. "A trip?" Akane asked. "Yeah," he replied. "A, uhh, training trip." "Don't even bother lying, Ranma." "I'll be gone for a few days." "Where are you going?" He pauses before he answers. "Yokohama." Silence comes between them once again as Akane thinks for a moment. "I'm going with you." "No you're not." "Yes I am." "No, you're not," he said more firmly. "YES, I AM!!" They stop and stare at each other with irritated faces. Akane's face softens, as her voice does, too. "Ranma, you're in no condition to be taking trips by yourself.Now I don't know what's going on" (lower) "since no one will tell me"(back to normal) "but I'm going with you and that's final." Ranma sighs and looks at her. He says dully, "There's no way I can stop you is there?" "Nope." Quiet, not exactly silence. "How long will we be gone?" "We should be back by the end of our break." Akane notices they're taking a detour and that she's beside him now. She also notices the long, uncomfortable silence and sighs inwardly when Ranma breaks it. "My..." Ranma said to make Akane look up at him. "My... friend is dying..." Akane looks on with realization and sympathy. "I've known her since I was a kid. When I knew Ukyou. We all knew each other. Me and her became really close, and I've been in contact with her a lot since then... Even when we left, I always wrote her... and visited her when I was around there." He smiles slightly. "I still keep in touch with her." His smile fades. "Maybe she'll get better..." Akane tried to cheer him up with the little information she now had. "No." It didn't sound like him. Just a cold version of his voice. "It's definite." "What was she like?" Akane asked gently, not wanting to go back to the silence. Ranma looked at her. "She..." He looked straight again. "She's very sweet... and nice... and kawaii (Akane scowled.), as kawaii as you (Akane blushes. He's still looking straight, by the way). She's the kind of person you can't not like." He smiles at a memory. "She's almost... perfect." Akane smiled at that. "Like Kasumi?" "Yeah," he smiled. "But not quite as dull." He ducked from what he expected to be Akane's mallet but found that kawaii laughing face he lo-- liked so much. Then he got serious again. "I..." He trailed off and a more comfortable silence fell between them. When they reached the dojo, Ranma said, "We're leaving this afternoon." "Okay." Lunch was very quiet. A little too quiet. Genma had told the remaining Tendos about as much as Ranma told Akane. Not even Nabiki said much. Ranma closed the door to his room and leaned on it with closed eyes and sighed. He didn't notice Genma looking at him with sympathy. "I won't be coming with you, son." Ranma opened his eyes to look at his father. The one that made him leave her. The one that brought him here. "Why not?" "I... I don't want to see Mizuko-chan in pain," he said rather weakly. Ranma flinched at her name. "It would hurt too much," Genma continued. "To see such an innocent thing... hurting," he ended. His voice was uncomfortably soft, and it hardened again. "Will Ukyou be going with you? I really don't want you to go alone. I know how much you--" "Ukyou's not coming, but Akane insisted." Genma "Oh"ed. Meanwhile, Akane was in her room packing. (thinking) 'Well, at least he told me part of what's going on. I still don't know who this person is. Obviously, my iinazuke really cares about her because he shed tears for her... He did that for me once. Of course, I was dying at the time, too. That was when we came so close... He had almost said it.' She shook her head of the memory she had stored at the back of her mind since their un-wedding, and went back to the problem of the week. 'But he said his friend won't get better.' She gets partially angry as a thought pops into her head. 'This better not be another fiancé.' She finished packing and went downstairs. Akane found Ukyou in the family room with Kasumi and Nabiki. "Ukyou! Hi!" Ukyou smiled weakly. "I came to say good-bye to Ranma." "Oh. He should be down soon." "You're going?" Ukyou asked. "Umm, yeah." "So I guess he told you." "Well, not much. Only that his friend is dying." (very quietly) "Hmph, friend?" (back to normal) "Ahem. Mizuko." "Huh?" said a confused Akane. "That's her name. Mizuko Akima." "Oh. Were you two friends?" Ukyou laughs softly. "It was hard not to be." Akane gave her another confused look. "It was hard not to be friends with her," Ukyou clarified. "Mizuko's the kind of person..." "You can't not like," Akane finished for her. "Yeah! Ranma, right?" Akane nodded. "Isn't that kind of creepy? Like, not being able to not like her?" Akane asked. She soon regretted it realizing how rude that came out. She was in no mood to start a fight with Ukyou. Guess she wasn't going to have to. "No, no," Ukyou said with a smile. "She's totally normal. She's not like, so perfect she gets on your nerves. She has flaws and gets mad and stuff. It's just that her flaws aren't as noticeable and it's harder to get her mad. She's like her mom." "I don't know her mom," Akane said, also smiling. Ukyou looked at her fiancé's fiancé. "Is that all he told you? That his friend is dying?" "Basically," Akane answered. "Hmm," Ukyou said thoughtfully. 'Should I tell her?' she thought. Ranma came down the stairs before Ukyou could fully finish her thoughts. "Ukyou!" he greeted her. "I thought you weren't coming." "I'm not," she answered. "I came to say good-bye. And to ask you if you could please give this letter to Mizuko." She handed Ranma a thin envelope. "Sure." They stood in silence as he put the letter in his backpack without looking at it. "Uhh... I'll be right back," Akane excused herself. "I forgot something in my room." When she left, Ukyou came closer to Ranma. "Ranma, will you be okay?" she asked. "Yeah." Ukyou contemplated him for a few minutes. "What?!" he finally asked. "We've been friends for a long time, Ranma." He looked at her questioningly. "I know when you're lying." This time he contemplated her. Then he looked away when he spoke. "How do you think it feels when someone you love is dying?" She stared at him with sympathy, wishing she could do more. "It really is true when people say life isn't fair, huh?" Ukyou looked away now. "This is the second time you know." Ukyou nodded understandingly. After their little talk last month she understood him in a way that her love-blinded mind of 'before the talk' could not. She could almost read him like a book. She understood his feelings, his confusion... The fact that she would never be his. Despite that last part she felt really special having him confess this to her of all people. This made her not his true love, but at least his best friend. "Gomen nasai," she said. It's like she was partly responsible for keeping them apart for so long. "You have no reason to be," he said. "So what are you going to do now?" After some thought, he answered, "I'm gonna go spend a few last days with Mizu." "Then?" "Then I'm gonna come back." "Then what?" she asked, both of them knowing what she was asking and that he was trying to avoid to question. "I guess the decision's been made for me." Akane came slowly and quietly down the stairs with an old shirt. 'I hope that was enough time for them to talk about whatever it was Ukyou wanted to talk about with Ranma. I gave them ten minutes. If they talk any longer we'll miss our train.' She made her steps louder to announce herself. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, they were both just standing there looking at each other's feet. "Umm, we should be going now, Ranma." He nodded. Ukyou hugged Ranma, said good-bye and left. Everyone else was in the room by now and saying their good-byes. After Akane got away from Soun, she and Ranma stepped outside. "Shall we go?" he asked his iinazuke. "Yeah." They headed to the train station. 'God, what a boring train ride,' Akane thought while pretending to read a book. 'Usually with Ranma nothing's boring. But the last couple of months have been kind of quiet... What with Ukyou being quiet. Or at least less bouncy on Ranma. I wonder what's going on with her. Is she sick or something? Is there any way Shampoo and Kodachi could catch it?' She smiled at the fantasy. 'Hah, not in this lifetime.' She looked at Ranma who was staring out the window. 'He looks too... not him. It's actually kind of scary.' She sighed and tried to read her book, despite all the confusing thoughts that were going through her mind. 'Mizu.' That's basically what Ranma was thinking. Ranma and Akane stepped off the train in Yokohama. The trip got partially less quiet when Akane started a shouting match with Ranma. It didn't seem all that normal to Akane, though, because Ranma didn't seem into it. All the more to be uncomfortable about. Anyway, the train whistle eventually blew and Akane and Ranma found themselves at their stop. "Uhh, Ranma?" Akane asked. She suddenly realized she had no idea where they were going. "Huh?" "Where are we going? You do know where we're going, right?" "Hey, I'm not Ryoga. Don't worry, I got it covered." She followed him as they walked to the bus station. "I just hope the Akimas haven't moved." She looked at him with eyes that are big for anime people as he smiled at her. They got on the bus. When they got off Akane saw they were in a nice, higher-than-middle-class neighborhood. Ranma took his and a lot of her luggage which surprised her and started walking. "I can carry my own luggage, Ranma," she informed him, slightly surprised, slightly irritated. "I got it." She looked at him weird but let it go. They stopped in front of a nice, big, two-story house. It wasn't quite as big as the Kuno mansion but it was quite larger than the Tendo dojo. It was also very picturesque. Akane started to walk to the door but Ranma stopped her. "What?" "Okay, I'm gonna be honest with you," he said earnestly. A confused look came across Akane's face. "I'm kind of... different around these people." His fiancé looked more confused. "Different good or different bad?" she thought to ask. "That depends on the point of view," he muttered. "Well, you know how I'm usually rude and loud-mouthed and disrespectful over-honest and..." "Do I!" He smiled at her answer. "Well, around them... I'm not," he finished. "I still can't believe you act like that on purpose," she said. "Why not?" "It's not that noticeable, I think. You'll just realize it when I stop." "Why not?" she repeated. "Why aren't you yourself around them? Or maybe I should ask why you're not yourself around us," she realized. "Ranma?" They looked at each other. "Just be polite." "I can be polite!" "Well you're not very attractive when you're whining like that. And no fighting, okay?" She wondered why he was so nervous but nodded. Then she realized she was nervous. She was completely barging in on this very sad occasion and she didn't know why. "Ranma, should I have come?" He looked at her with an 'it's too late now' look. "I mean, I don't even know any of these people and their daughter is dying and I feel like I'm barging in." "You are. But they'll understand. The Akimas are very nice. "Won't they wonder about the engagement?" "Oh, they know Pop. Now stop worrying! Geez." He started for the door and Akane followed. Ding-dong. The door was opened by a pretty woman in her late- thirties, early-forties in a business suit. She looked tired but when she saw Ranma her face brightened. "Ranma-kun!" Ranma bowed and when he came up they laughed and hugged each other. "Akima-san." Akane felt very out of place during this happy reunion. "We've been expecting you. I'm sorry Ukyou-chan and Genma couldn't come." "No, I'm sorry." He looked at the woman with sad eyes and she smiled at him. "Oh, no worry, dear. Well, come in, come in." Akane hesitated to follow Ranma but her hesitations disappeared when the lady smiled at her. They entered the house and found themselves in the comfortably sized foyer. "Ranma?" "Hmm?" he replied. He saw that the other two were looking at each other. "Oh." He introduced the two, not exactly mentioning the fiancé part. "You're Soun's daughter?" asked Akima-san. "Hai." "Oh, no need to be so formal, Akane-chan. Would you like to get settled into your room, now?" "Yeah, these bags are heavy," Ranma said. "Don't act like you can't handle it," Akima-san said. They both smiled. "Uhh..." Akane said. "Room?" Ranma looked up and realized that that was not plural. "Oh, yes. I hope you don't mind. It's just that we have so many other guests here for..." She looked down and took a deep breath. "It's just like a hotel here and we're expecting other people. Plus, this house isn't as big as it looks." "Oh, it's all right. We'll work something out," Ranma said quickly. They followed Akima-san upstairs. On the way up, Ranma thought to ask, "Akima-san?" "Yes?" "How many beds are there?" She smiled, and Akane and Ranma looked scared. "Aren't you two engaged?" she answered/asked. "Uhh... Our parents..." "Oh, yes I know all of that," she said. "But you are?" "Why?" he asked with suspicion. Akane was quietly being terrified when they reached the door. When Akima-san opened the door, she said, "We could always get a futon in here if it bothers you that much." Akane face-faulted at the thought of... Ranma was on the verge of face-faulting but he controlled himself. "Does it?" asked Akima-san. Ranma and Akane looked at her. "Bother you that much?" Ranma answered, "Could you really get a futon?" She smiled at him. "Of course. Dinner will be in a couple of hours. That should be enough time to get settled in and show Akane-chan around." The teenagers said to her as she left the room, "Arigato gozaimasu." When she left, they looked at the bed. Then Akima-san popped her head back in. "I'll get you that futon before dinner." Then she was gone. Akane started unpacking. "She seems nice." "She is," Ranma said. He started unpacking. When they were mostly done, Ranma asked, "Don't you have to call home or something?" "Oh yeah. Where's the nearest phone?" Ranma pointed to the nightstand. "Are they rich or something?" "Kind of." "How big is this house?" She came out of the walk-in closet. "Big." Akane rolled her eyes at him and called her bawling father. When she got off the phone, Ranma was gone. "Ranma?" she called. "What?" Her voice came from a door next to the closet. "Where are you?" She came out of the door. "Right here." "Where does that door go?" "The bathroom." "Should you be like that?" "Like what?" "Like... female. Do they know about the curse?" "Not really." "So shouldn't you change back?" "Why?" "Well, do you want people to see you like that while you're showing me around?" Akane asked, with slight irritation. "Besides, I thought you hated being a girl." "Too much trouble changing back," he called from the bathroom. "Whatever," Akane muttered. They spent the remainder of their time left until dinner going around the house. Ranma basically sounded like a tour guide, which Akane decided to mention. "So?" was his response. "So... You must know this place really well." "So?" he repeated. "How many times have you been here?" she asked. He stopped in front of a door near their room. Apparently, you could go around the whole house in a big circle (not literally). "This is Mizu's room," he said. Akane looked at the closed door. "Is she in there?" she asked. "I don't know. I forgot to ask. You'd think she'd be in a hospital or something." They stood there for a moment. "Only one way to find out." He knocked on the door. When he was answered by silence, he knocked again. They waited a few moments, then Akima-san passed by and noticed them standing there looking at the door. "You can go in if you want," Akima-san said. The two looked at her. "I think she's sleeping. She probably won't even know you're there." "Oh, we don't want to bother her," Ranma said. Akane got disappointed. Curiosity was eating away at her. She probably showed it a little too much, because Akima-san insisted that Ranma just let Akane take a peek. Akane looked embarrassed but looked anyway when the door was opened. "Go on in," Akima-san urged. Akane looked at Ranma who took a deep breath and went in slowly. His fiancé followed him in. Akima-san excused herself on an errand. The room they entered was fairly larger, compared to Akane's room, and to the room Akane and Ranma were staying in. It had a pale blue theme to it. The window had a great view of the backyard which had some beautiful gardens. Akane then realized that it wasn't a window. It was two French doors leading to a balcony. She looked at the girl lying in the bed whose hand was being held by a now sitting Ranma. She got fairly jealous for a few reasons. Then she got scared when the girl's eyes opened. Again her doubts of why she was there came to her. 'Why am I here?' Akane thought. 'Here I am in some dying stranger's room just because I had to follow Ranma around like a sick puppy. Now I'm getting sick.' The girl smiled a sweet-looking smile at her. "Konnichiwa," Ranma said. Mizuko looked at him with bright eyes. "Is it that late?" she said, still smiling. Ranma was also smiling. Even with her lying there he looked so happy. To Akane anyway. She had never seen him like this. It was partially alarming. Mizuko turned her attention back to Akane. "Hi," she said. Akane was startled by her openness. "Um, hi." She smiled at the girl. "Are you Akane?" Mizuko asked. "How did you..." she said with uncertainty of her own name. "Oh, Ranma talks about you all the time," she said. "Mizu! I do not!" Ranma said quite indignantly, still holding her hand Akane noticed. "Yes you do," she teased. Akane laughed. "What exactly has Ranma said," Akane asked. There wasn't any anger in her voice. "Whenever he talks about all his adventures in weird places he's always saving you." The 'couple' looked anywhere but at each other and blushed. Ranma let go of Mizuko's hand. "By the way, I'm Mizuko." "I'm Akane Tendo." "It's nice to finally meet you, Akane." They smiled at each other. C&C, flames, "You forgot the comma!!", "Is that supposed to be Japanese?" mail send to Meliss45@aol.com or the FFML. ;)